Connie asked if the turtles were hard to catch.
“Well, there’s a trick to it,” the lifeguard answered. “Turtles are fast in the water. If they see you coming, they’ll duck down to the bottom of the pond. I’ll lend you my net and that should make it easier.”
From the bathhouse Barney brought a long-handled net. He warned the children to be very careful at the pond.
“The water is shallow there,” he said, “but if you should tumble in, you’d ruin your clothes.”
“We won’t fall in,” laughed Vevi. “When we come back, we’ll have a lot of racing turtles!”
Carrying the net, the two girls went first to Starfish Cottage to tell Mrs. Williams where they were going. They could not find her or Miss Gordon, so they left a note saying they would be gone for an hour.
“It looks sort of misty,” Connie said, glancing at the sky. “Do you think we should go, Vevi?”
“Oh, we’ll be back in an hour,” Vevi replied. “Come on.”
They started off along the main highway. Cars whizzed past very fast. One driver stopped for a moment, offering the girls a ride. Vevi and Connie did not know him, so they turned down the offer.
Presently, they came to Stop 23 and the winding dirt road.